Mahindra S101 caught testing alongside Quanto

The upcoming compact SUV from Mahindra (codenamed S101), has been spied testing with its elder sibling, the Quanto. While the S101 has been spotted testing on multiple occasions, this is the first itme that compact SUV has been spied on test with the Quanto.

This Mahindra S101 is based on an all-new monocoque platform that the company has been working on in partnership with its Korean subsidiary SsangYong. The manufacturer will limit the length of the vehicle to less than four metres to waive off the excise duty and thus making it cheaper. The images clearly show that the S101 is smaller in size than the Quanto which is also a sub-four-metre vehicle. The new SUV is expected to borrow design traits from the XUV 500.

Mahindra might power the S101 with a new 1.2-litre petrol engine which is being jointly developed with Ssangyong. The oil-burner is likely to be the three-cylinder 1.5-litre diesel mill that the current Quanto is powered by. The engines are likely to be mated to a five-speed manual transmission but may also get an AT in the future. 

Mahindra might launch the S101 in the Indian car market by the end of next year or later in 2016. When launched, it will compete with the Ford EcoSport and the upcoming compact SUV from Volkswagen, the Taigun. This will be one of the new products out of the two confirmed by Mahindra for the Indian car market. The other might be a facelifted Quanto or the sub-four-metre Bolero that is supposedly being worked upon.

Image Courtesy: Cartoq